Commentaries

As Dallas considers changes to monuments, streets and schools named for Confederate leaders, the city of Austin has joined a growing movement to change Columbus Day to Indigenous People Day. TCU History professor Jodi Campbell finds the debates constructive, but thinks it may be more valuable to look at the questions behind them.

After more than 80 years in the park in Dallas that bears his name, the city has removed a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. A city task force will consider the future of other Confederate monuments, but commentator William Holston believes that's not enough to right past wrongs.

This week, we’ve been remembering Robert Wilson, who led KERA during its early years. He died at age 75 May 5 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Wilson introduced American TV audiences to Jim Lehrer and Monty Python. Lee Cullum worked with him during that period and remained friends afterward. She shares her memories.

For many of the faithful in North Texas, the season of Lent is winding down, and concludes April 15th. But for Brent Barry, Pastor of NorthPark Presbyterian Church in Dallas, this Lenten season has taken an unexpected detour.

Like many, over the holidays this year I got around to rewatching Love Actually. I’ll be straightforward: I have no stake in the great Love Actually internet debate. I think it’s a fine film. It makes me laugh. It makes me cry. And that’s pretty much the extent of my feelings on the matter…except for one scene.

Members of the Dallas Police and Fire Pension Fund will vote in November whether to reduce their benefits. If the answer is "yes," the chairman of pension fund board calls it only a first step toward saving the troubled retirement system. But commentator Lee Cullum says something has to be done.

Recent shootings in Dallas, Baton Rouge, Minnesota and Orlando, Florida have raised concerns about racism and bigotry. The head of the Human Rights Initiative of North Texas suggests the solution to these problems may start within ourselves. William Holston points to his own background as an example.

Just as fans did for his fights in the '60s and '70s, people in Muhammad Ali's hometown of Louisiville, Kentucky, lined up for hours for tickets to a public service for the boxing great. His recent death reminded commentator Lee Cullum of her first encounter with Ali in Dallas.

Barack Obama recently became the first U.S. president to visit Cuba in nearly 90 years. The island was also on commentator Stephen Whitley’s wish list of places to visit. But Cuba always seemed out of reach until the recent easing of restrictions on travel. He learned some lessons during a Spring Break trip there.

Writer Harper Lee died last Friday at age 89. But her classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, lives on. With more than 40 million copies sold, it’s never been out of print. Lee’s tale of racial injustice in the South had a major impact on contributor William Holston -- in particular, its central character.

Polls shows interpretations of what being a feminist means vary across age groups today, but the fact that the conversation continues likely pleases the person who did much to raise the nation’s consciousness about the issue.

Commentator Lee Cullum recently attended a conference in Berlin where the main topic was supposed to be the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. But she says all anyone could think about were the migrants pouring into Germany from the Middle East.

Commentator William Holston recently turned 59 years old. During that time, he’s married, raised children and practiced law. Now, as head of the Human Rights Initiative of North Texas, Holston wants to focus on another goal: becoming a great leader.

An obituary following his death June 20 called Daniel Weiser arguably the most powerful Dallas political figure who never sought elected office. Journalist Bob Ray Sanders explains in this commentary why voters in recent Dallas elections owe him a thank you.

August 2015 will mark ten years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. It’s been a difficult recovery with some problems still to work out. But commentator Lee Cullum says there’s good news to report.

Texas has its own claim to the legacy of the American civil rights movement - James Farmer Jr. Born in Marshall in 1920, Jan. 12 would have been the birthday of the man many remember as “the great debater.”